Dispenser of Strict-Justice

[85:1] LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
In January of 1985 the world learned of ‘Operation Moses.’ Israel had been airlifting Ethiopian Jews from refugee camps in Sudan. Over ten thousand black Jews (Falashas) had escaped persecution under Ethiopia’s communist regime. They had journeyed over the mountainous border into Sudan. Through Sudan is an Arab counry and had no official relations with Israel, certain government personnel had permitted European airliners, hired by Israel, to rescue the refugees.
Living conditions in the camps were deplorable. Several hundreds of the Falashas, perhaps thousands had died for lack of food or proper medical attention. Most, however, had managed to survive and were rescued. It is quite remarkable that the first verse of Ps 85 would allude to the captivity of Jacob returning to the Promised Land.
Trans European Airways, a Brussels-based charter airline, made 35 flights from November 1884 to January 1985, airlifting black Jews out of refugee camps in Sudan. The flights were canceled afer Israeli officials confirmed newspaper reports that a rescue mission was under way. Embarrassed Sudanese government officials halted the flights once news licked out. Their Arab neighbors were furious that Sudan would help Israel. Some 7,000 Falashas remained stranded in refugee camps in Sudan and perhaps as many as 10,000 were still in Ethiopia. Prime Minister Peres vowed, ‘we shall not rest until all our brothers and sisters from Ethiopia come safely back home.’
Who are these Ethiopian Jews? Some claim descent from the tribe of Levi by Moses and his Ethiopian wife (Num. 12:1). Others claim descent from the tribe of Judah by Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. According to Ethiopian history, the Queen of Sheba had a foot disorder and heard that Solomon had knowledge of medicines and herbs. In the weeks following her arrival in Jerusalem, she fell in love with Solomon. From their union came a son, Menelik – the first of the dynasty of whom Hail Selassie claimed to be the 225th generation.
When Menelik was nineteen years old, having received his education in Jerusalem, he was realy to make his journey to Ethiopia. Solomon had a duplicate made of the Ark of the Covenant and presented it to his son. However, according to Ethiopia history, having some of the wisdom of his father, Menelik threw a farewell party the night before he left. He served several rounds of wine to the priesthood. While they were preoccupied and inebriated, he sneaked into the Holy of Holies, switched Arks and took the real Ark of the Covenant back to Ethiopia.
Haile Selassie claimed it was the real Ark. Encyclopedia Britannica in 1934 reported the Ark being in the church. The table of stone upon which the Ten Commandments was written is also there.
Isaiah 18 records a prophecy about the rescue of Jews from Ethiopia and their bringing a present to the Temple Mount. Isa. 188:1 ‘Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia.’ The Nile river begins in Northern Ethiopia and flow through Sudan. The designation is apparent. The passage refers to Ethiopia. The wings could be a picture of those airplanes airlifting the black Jews to safety. Woe to the land could be a reference to Ethiopia’s future destruction in the Battle of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38:5). Ethiopia will accompany Russia against Israel.
Isaiah 18:2 speaks of vessels of bulrushes. Such boats are still used in the land until this day. There are only two places in the Bible where bulrushes are mentioned – here, and in Exodus 2:3, a story of the rescue of Moses. The vessels of bulrushes may be G-d’s way of predicting that the rescue of Ethiopian Jews would be called ‘Operation Moses.’
Isaiah 18:2 continues,…Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation melted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers had spoiled! The swift messengers could be the air rescue team. The term scattered could refer to the displaced people and peeled refers to the color of their skin-a black skinned people who look as if their skin has been baked in the sun. melted out and trodden down describes the communist overthrow of the country since 1974 and their oppressive actions against the populace. Whose land the rivers have spoiled compares with the drought which has devastated the land in recent years.
The next verse 3 reveals a message to Gentile Christianity all over the world. All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifeth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. The ensign may be the Holy Ark brought back to the Temple Mount and the trumpet could refer to the shofar sounded on Rosh Hashanah.
The concept that the Ark of the Covenant will be returned to the Temple site on Rosh Hashanah is given in the Tehillim commentary on Ps. 47. Talmudic rabbis say that this sounding of the trumpet has a reference to the Ark of the Covenant, which was concealed as the era of the First Temple drew to a close. ‘In the future, when the great horn of redemption is blown, this Ark will ascend from its concealment.’
The rabbi’s believe the blast will occur on Rosh Hashanah heralding not only the appearance of the Ark of the Covenant, but the time when the ‘Dispenser of Strict-Justice’ sets His judgment and raises the dead. ‘When the Jew hears the sound of the trumpet, he realizes that he deserves shattering punishment for his sins, he is forgiven and repent. Having felt remorse for his sins, he is forgiven and the verdict is nullified. Thus, G-d ascends and departs because of the trumpet blast.’ Isaiah 18:5 alludes to the Battle of Gog and Magog: For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches. Just before the harvest when the bud is perfect (the last sinner is converted), and the sour grape is ripening (the wicked are ready to be thrown into
G-d’s winepress of judgment), G-d will cut down the branches (bring on the Battle of Gog and Magog).
Ezekiel’s prophecy compares with this passage. Just as Ezek. 39:17-20 offers an invitation to…every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, …to eat the flesh of the slain on the battlefield, Isaiah 18:6 says, They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beast of the earth; and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beast of the earth shall winter upon them.
Isa. 18:7 returns to the most important subject of the chapter. In that time shall the present be brought unto the L-RD of host of a people…to the place of the name of the L-RD of host, the mount Zion. Could that present be the Ark of the Covenant? The poor Ethiopian Jews have no money. The only thing of value is the Ark kept in the Church of St. Mary of Zion in Aksum.
The minor prophet Zephaniah offers a further prophecy. Zeph. 1:1 He was apparently an Ethiopiah Jew, the son of Cushi and in chapter 3:10 the prophet wrote, From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my supplians, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering. The word suppliants is used only one time in the Bible. It means ‘a multitude of worshipers.’ This multitude of Ethiopian Jews is called the daughter of my dispersed. These people are the daughter (offspring) of the Jews (my dispersed). This may be another reference to the Ark of the Covenant since they have no other offering to bring. The Zephaniah is placed in the time frame of that day (v. 11) at that time…when I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the L-Rd. (3:20).
This is why Psalm 85 is so important as a reference to the rescue of Ethiopian Jews. The rescue effort continues. It is not yet complete and the Holy Ark has not yet been returned. According to rabbinic scholars, the psalm originally predicted Israel’s return from the Babylonian exile to rebuild the Temple. Ultimately, the psalm projects a future time when Jews would return to open the Third Temple Period. In 1985 a movement was already underway in Israel with demands by religious Jews for a place to worship on the Temple mount. The prophetic aspect of the psalm is most significant when considered with the preceding psalm (84) wherein David ‘yearned to return to the Holy Ark and to the sacrificial altar, this psalm as a prophecy describing Israel’s eventual redemption from the present exile.
Israel will be spiritually revived again. Reconciliation will be made with G-d His shekinah glory will return. The people will become righteous as a prelude to the steps coming of the Messiah.
Future events which may lead to Israel’s revival includes a return of the Ark of the Covenant, an appointment of 144,000 to raise the Tabernacle of David and a restoration of the Temple worship on the Sacred Mount.
Rabbi Feuer wrote in his commentary on the Ps., ‘In the future, G-d’s glory will return to the land and to the Holy Temple. In the Second Temple, this glory was absent. The Talmud relates that five Divine manifestations which were present in the First Temple were absent in the Second Temple. These were:
1. The Holy Ark, along with its cover, and the cherubim.
2. The heavenly fire which descended upon the altar.
3. The Shekinah (manifestation of the Divine Presence).
4. Ruach HaKodesh (the Divine Spirit of prophecy).
5. Urim V’Tumim (the breast plate of the High Priest, which relayed prophetic messages).
All of these phenomena will be present when the Third Temple is built!
The number 85 has two uses:
1. It means ‘mouth, in the sense of blowing or breathing.
2. It means ‘here, in this place.’
We have a moving of the Spirit. G-d is about to birth the nation with the Holy Spirit. Remembers the words of Y’Shua, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of G-d in John 3:5. Israel was born of water in 1948. Soon the nation will be born of the Sprit-where? Here, in this place! On the Temple Mount!